This invention relates to a hinge for interconnecting sections of a floating dock and for interconnecting walkways with floating docks. This hinge can be used both for reconstructing docks which have been damaged by storm or high winds or for constructing new docks that can better withstand the stress exerted by the side to side or up and down motion of the dock.
Most docks have sections interconnected together by simply threading a suitably diametered rod through a pair or a series of sturdy eye bolts secured in an aligned relation to the adjoining opposed vertical faces of the dock sections or through aligned bearing openings in pairs of metal bearing plates secured to the vertical sides of the respective adjoining dock sections and projecting downwardly therefrom. These eyebolts are usually constructed on corner brackets installed at each corner of the interconnecting dock sections but more aligned eyebolts may be installed along the vertical sides of the dock sections if reinforcement is desired or necessary, for example, when the dock sections span a sizeable width. The vertical faces of the interconnecting dock sections are positioned face to face and end to end in spaced apart relation relative to one another. These types of interconnection is usually restrictive of dock movements in relation to wave actions, high winds, or heavy loads thereby resulting in structural damage to the dock after some time of usage. Reconstructing damaged docks is costly since it requires downtime, materials and labor before it again becomes operational.
This problem has been addressed by installing flexible materials covering the gap between the interconnected clock sections to allow the sections to move with respect to each other or by installing semi-flexible hinges to each adjacent dock faces. These flexible materials, usually rubber based, are however not long lasting and while they may address the up and down motion of the dock, they are not very efficient in dealing with damages caused by the side to side motion of the clock.
It is therefore and object of this invention to provide a dock hinge that will allow the interconnecting dock sections to move side to side and up and down relative to each other.
It is also an object of this invention to provide a hinge that is simple and easy to install.
It is a further object of this invention to provide a hinge that can be easily installed on old damaged docks or to replace existing hinges on functional docks to preserve the docks from damage.